News: What Europe thinks of America after this week

Saturday, January 9, 2021

What Europe thinks of America after this week

Jan 09, 2021

DRIVING THE DAY

ADMIT IT. YOU MISS IT ALREADY. The shock, faux outrage, the buffoonery … and especially the guilty pleasure of it all. All gone. Reactions ran from "too little too late" to "Orwellian."

But whether the decision by Twitter's hirsute guru to lower the virtual guillotine on @realDonaldTrump late Friday was driven by the shift in political winds, pangs of conscience, or a simple desire to prepare the world for the ennui that promises to descend on politics come January 21, the de-platforming effectively ends the Trump presidency. And by the looks of it, 45 might not even be able to "Parler" either.

OF COURSE, THE WORLD'S ATTENTION has been on another French word this week — coup, literally a violent blow or strike.

Across Europe — a region that's seen its share of political upheaval over the centuries — few doubt that the hit Washington suffered this week has shaken American democracy to its core, leaving deep cracks in the foundation. To Europeans, the "shining city on a hill" now more resembles a smoldering ruin plagued by Covid.

Or, as Tamás Deutsch, a member of the European Parliament from Hungary put it this week: "Before, Black Lives Matter, now Nothing Matters. United States of Anarchy. That's it."

GUTEN TAG FROM GERMANY. As you no doubt noticed, today's Playbook originates well outside the Beltway. My name is Matt Karnitschnig and I'm POLITICO's chief Europe correspondent, based in Berlin. A native of Arizona (no, I don't know the guy with the fur headdress), I've spent the past several years chronicling the political goings on in Europe, with particular emphasis on the transatlantic relationship in the Trump Age.

And if the past few days are any indication, Europe is nowhere near to overcoming its Trump obsession.

Describing pictures of the Capitol's ransacking as the stuff "of a bad B-movie," former German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel warned Friday that the country had crossed a dangerous threshold (something Germans know a thing or two about).

"To threaten constitutional institutions and storm buildings has suddenly entered the realm of what's politically palatable," he told German radio.

IN EUROPE'S SMOKE-FILLED ANTEROOMS of yore (now sadly virtual due to Covid), the debate is whether and to what extent American authorities turned a blind eye or even facilitated the Trump mob's insurrection plans. And after watching Trump shatter one democratic convention after another over the past four years, few are willing to give the president the benefit of the doubt.

"Today I am briefing my government that we believe with a reasonable level of certainty that Donald Trump attempted a coup that failed when the system did not buckle," one NATO official told Business Insider.

OF COURSE, EUROPEANS NEVER MISS AN OPPORTUNITY to indulge in a bit of schadenfreude when America stumbles. But if the idea that Trump was trying to orchestrate a third-world style putsch (and not just throwing sand in the works ahead of Biden's inauguration) seems far-fetched, consider the words of Fiona Hill, the former Trump NSC aide:

"The president was trying to stage a coup," the U.K.-born Russia expert told The Daily Beast. "Just because it failed or didn't succeed doesn't mean it wasn't real."

In Europe, that perception has become hard reality. Biden's win may have been celebrated in Europe, where years of Trump's taunts and threats turned many against Washington, but that doesn't mean the Continent is willing to forgive and forget.

If anything, the concerns over the stability of American democracy spurred by this week's turmoil have convinced European policymakers that Europe needs to redouble efforts to emancipate the region from American influence.

CASE IN POINT: CHINA.

Just last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Europe's de facto leader, ignored calls from Biden's camp to hold off on sealing a sweeping investment pact with Beijing.

So it's not that Europe didn't get the memo that China is the one major issue on which Trump and Biden broadly agree, but rather that they care more about selling their cars there. With many Europeans fearing a return to Trumpism in four years, creating a kind of equidistance between the European Union and the U.S. in the long term seems like the safest bet.

In theory, at least. In reality, Europe still depends on the U.S. for its security vis a vis both Russia and China and would be blind without the eyes and ears of American intelligence.

THAT SHOULD GIVE WASHINGTON considerable leverage. But with Biden, an avowed "transatlanticist," making it clear that he won't pull the rug from under NATO as Trump threatened to do, Europe would seem to have little to fear in terms of repercussions.

And for all of the bluster of the past four years about withdrawing troops and imposing tariffs, the U.S. still needs to keep Europe happy; it's by far America's largest trading partner and a key strategic staging ground.

As Trump liked to say, when it comes to Europe, "We are the schmucks."

KEEP UP WITH THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WITH TRANSITION PLAYBOOK: It was a dark week in American history, and a new administration will have to pick up the pieces. Transition Playbook brings you inside the last days of this crucial transfer of power, tracking the latest from President-elect Biden and his growing administration. Written for political insiders, this scoop-filled newsletter breaks big news and analyzes the appointments, people, and the emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today.

MATTHEW'S PLAYBOOK READS

From across the pond, the UK's Reaction delivers a contrarian take on the week's events in D.C., warning that the future of U.S. capitalism is now at stake: "It is necessary to peel away the hypocrisy and double standards of many of those in the U.S. now indulging in hand-wringing over a situation they helped to create."

What Exodus teaches us about governing. ""[T]imes have changed. For today's reader of Exodus, a crucial question cries out from the three-pillared structure of Israel's founding. Can a people endure and flourish if it lacks a shared national story, accepted law and morals, and an aspiration to something higher than its own comfort and safety? Can a devotion to technological progress, economic prosperity and private pursuits of happiness sustain us when our story is contested (or despised), our morals weakened and our national dedication abandoned?" writes Leon Kass in the WSJ.

Europe shouldn't breathe easy after Trump's departure given the potency of populism on the Continent. "In recent years, far-right movements in Europe have been emboldened as almost never before," writes Peter Geoghegan in Politico's European edition. "We don't need to look thousands of miles away for an example of online extremism and conspiracy theories spilling into the streets: In August, anti-lockdown protesters in Berlin, many carrying far-right flags, attempted to storm the Reichstag."

"How can anyone expect — as Joe Biden's campaign promised — to 'restore responsible American leadership on the world stage' if Americans cannot even govern themselves at home?," asks Emma Ashford in Foreign Policy.

The FT takes an inside look at how German slaughterhouses exploit Eastern European migrant workers to keep cheap bratwurst and schnitzels on the shelves.

Ever since Trump became president, centrist Europeans led by Angela Merkel have longed for the good old days of a U.S.-led multilateralist approach to foreign policy. Patrick Porter lays out in "The False Promise of the Liberal Order" why those days weren't as good as we remember and why there's no going back.

Playbook's D.C. team takes it from here…

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING

The flag being lowered outside the Capitol is pictured. | Getty Images

PHOTO DU JOUR: The U.S. flag is lowered to half-staff at the Capitol on Friday after the death of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick from injuries sustained in the Wednesday riots. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The AP serves up the news with a very fun, very not-AP lede: WASHINGTON (AP) — @realDonaldTrump, the Twitter feed that grew from the random musings of a reality TV star into the cudgel of an American president, has died. It was not quite 12 years old.

THE IMPACT — "Trump went 'ballistic' after being tossed off Twitter," by Gabby Orr, Daniel Lippman, Tina Nguyen and Sam Stein: "President Donald Trump has many prized possessions. But few seemed to inspire as much personal joy as his Twitter feed. Trump routinely boasted of the social media bullhorn he possessed. He credited it with launching his political trajectory. And he used it as a tool to lacerate his foes. On Friday night, he lost it. And, then, he lost his mind. …

"In a statement issued by the White House, Trump said he'd been 'negotiating with various other sites' while 'we also look at the possibilities of building out our own platform in the near future.' But aides did not reveal what plans were in the works."

— Alex Isenstadt, leading with a juicy anecdote about how the president was warned a year ago that he could get booted, looks at the immediate political fallout for Trump of losing his main megaphone.

— "Hey, Twitter, Are You Sure About This?" So asks John F. Harris in a provocative column about the 50-year war over media filters. John's take: Might seem to make sense in the moment, but perhaps not such a great idea.

FLASHBACK — "The Cry-Bully," by Joe Keohane in POLITICO Magazine, from May/June 2016: "The sad mind and evil media genius behind @realDonaldTrump."

MEANWHILE … "Google Play suspends Parler until app develops moderation policies," NBC

THE IMPEACHMENT PUSH … "Democrats Ready Impeachment Charge Against Trump for Inciting Capitol Mob," NYT: "The threat was part of an all-out effort by furious Democrats, backed by a handful of Republicans, to pressure Mr. Trump to leave office in disgrace … At the White House, Mr. Trump struck a defiant tone, insisting that he would remain a potent force in American politics as aides and allies abandoned him and his post-presidential prospects turned increasingly bleak.

"Behind closed doors, he made clear that he would not resign and expressed regret about releasing a video on Thursday committing to a peaceful transition of power and condemning the violence at the Capitol that he had egged on a day before."

— "Trump legal vets torn over new impeachment defense," by Meridith McGraw and Daniel Lippman: "Alan Dershowitz, the Trump-allied celebrity attorney, argued that Trump's encouragement of this week's Capitol riots was 'constitutionally protected' speech. He said it would be his 'honor and privilege' to take on the legal defense. …

"But the sentiment articulated by Dershowitz and [Jay] Sekulow wasn't shared across the spectrum. And, indeed, some lawyers who previously represented the president said the case currently being presented against him is stronger than the one he ultimately fended off in a Senate trial."

FALLOUT FROM THE SIEGE — "'Inside job': House Dems ask if Capitol rioters had hidden help," by Kyle Cheney, Sarah Ferris and Laura Barrón-López: "Lawmakers have uniformly praised most Capitol Police officers for their heroic response to the riots. … But videos have also surfaced showing a small number of officers pulling down barricades for the rioters and, in another instance, stopping for a photo with one of them.

"Some of those incidents were raised on a 3.5-hour caucus call by House Democrats on Friday, demanding an investigation not only into the decisions by the Capitol Police leadership but by some rank-and-file officers caught on camera. But the lawmakers also raised general concerns that the rioters had some sort of outside help not necessarily attributable to the Capitol's police corps."

WaPo: " The Capitol mob desecrated a historical workplace — and left behind some disturbing artifacts"

— THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE calls on Sen. TED CRUZ (R-Texas) to resign.

— "McCarthy and Scalise face internal dissension after Capitol riot," by Melanie Zanona and Olivia Beavers: "[A] cohort of House Republicans have begun to direct their outrage and frustration at their own leaders, according to interviews with nearly two dozen GOP members and aides. Privately, they say McCarthy and Scalise failed to show leadership in a time of crisis and should have done more to call out Trump for his role in the riots that left five people dead."

— "Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski calls on President Trump to resign, questions her future as a Republican," Anchorage Daily News

THE ATLANTIC: "Jamie Raskin Lost His Son. Then He Fled a Mob"

TRUMP'S IRON GRIP — "Trump allies reelected to lead RNC as party faces reckoning," by Alex Isenstadt: "RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and co-chairman Tommy Hicks easily won reelection on Friday at the party's annual winter meeting on Florida's Amelia Island. With Trump eager to retain influence over the GOP and quash dissent as he leaves office, their victories ensure that two party officials who've been close with the president will oversee the Republican Party infrastructure for the next two years.

"While McDaniel ran unopposed, the normally sleepy race for co-chair emerged as a proxy battle between pro-Trump forces and those looking for a cleaner break from the president. Hicks, who had the support of Donald Trump Jr., overcame several rivals."

— "Trump supporters yell 'traitor' to Lindsey Graham at airport," by Daniel Lippman

CORONAVIRUS RAGING … 3,777 Americans died of Covid-19. … 310,000 new cases of coronavirus were diagnosed … The seven-day averages of deaths, cases and hospitalizations all hit record highs.

ONE WAY TO MAKE AN ENTRANCE — "Freshman lawmaker hit with colleagues' fury after Hitler comments," by Shia Kapos in Chicago: "Even if [Rep. Mary] Miller doesn't resign, she may be forced out of Congress anyway after the redistricting process fires up later this year."

TRUMP'S SATURDAY — The president and Pence have nothing on their public schedules.

— Biden and Harris have nothing on their public schedules.

CLICKER — "The nation's cartoonists on the week in politics," edited by Matt Wuerker — 16 keepers

GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Margy Slattery and the staff of POLITICO Magazine:

— "Failures of Leadership in a Populist Age," by Yuval Levin in National Review: "Lying to people is no way to speak for them or represent them. It is a way of showing contempt for them, and of using them rather than being useful to them." NR

— "Sarah McBride's Neighborhood," by Brock Colyar in New York Magazine's The Cut: "The new Delaware state senator is making history in her hometown." New York

— "The Whole Story in a Single Photo," by Clint Smith in The Atlantic: "An image from the Capitol captures the distance between who we purport to be and who we have actually been." Atlantic

— "Migration As Seen from Above," by Anna Badkhen in The New York Review of Books: "Aerial photography has historically documented warscapes, mass migration, and now the effects of the global pandemic." NYRB

— "The Last Two Northern White Rhinos on Earth," by Sam Anderson in the NYT Magazine: "Although their story was almost unbearably tragic, they themselves were not tragic—they were just rhinos." NYT Magazine

— "The Forever Legacy of Alex Trebek," by Claire McNear in The Ringer: "The longtime 'Jeopardy!' host's final episodes are airing this week. They're a testament to Trebek's profound impact—on the show he defined, the world it created, and the lives of those who crossed his path." Ringer

— "Oreos and the Art of Crossword Puzzle Construction," by Russell Goldenberg in The Pudding: "A chronicle of a controversial cookie and condiment crossword clue." Pudding

A NEW YEAR, A NEW CONGRESS, A NEW HUDDLE: It was an ugly and heartbreaking week inside the Capitol, particularly for all of those who work on the Hill. How are lawmakers planning to move forward? How will security change? How will a new Senate majority impact the legislative agenda? With so much at stake, our new Huddle author Olivia Beavers brings you the most important news and critical insight from Capitol Hill with help from POLITICO's deeply sourced Congress team. Subscribe to Huddle, the essential guide to understanding Congress. It has never been more important. SUBSCRIBE NOW.

PLAYBOOKERS

Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com.

ALYSSA FARAH SPEAKS: Phones were blowing up around Washington when this POLITICO Magazine interview with Alyssa Farah dropped. The recently departed White House communications director has been a curious case in the Trump administration. Staying behind the scenes or at the Pentagon for much of her time, she became more public in the final year, which necessarily meant defending Trump.

Her recent transformation has been abrupt. In October, she was pushing Hunter Biden conspiracy theories. In November, many reporters noticed she started privately distancing herself from the MAGA-verse. In December, she left the White House (a job she called "the honor of a lifetime"), moved to a new place in Georgetown and prepared to launch a new D.C. consulting business.

But the day after the Trump-inspired riots, Farah told our Katelyn Fossett that the real reason she left was "because I saw where this was heading." The heads of never-Trump Republicans, who felt sadly vindicated by the events of this week, nearly exploded.

Tweeted Doug Heye, "We all saw where this was heading a long time ago, but it took @Alyssafarah until December? Did she never listen to one word [Trump] said. She's trying to save her own credibility but has none."

BIRTHDAYS: Linda Greenhouse is 74 … Ben Taub, staff writer for The New Yorker … Brooke Brower, managing editor of CNN Politics, is 43 … Pamela Walsh … U.N. Development Programme's Sarah Jackson-Han … Kenya Young, executive producer of NPR's "Morning Edition" … former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin is 54 … former Rep. Mike Capuano (D-Mass.) is 69 … Fred Wertheimer … Erica Flint … Mark Stencel … Tim Punke, partner at Monument Advocacy, is 5-0 … Elaine Stern … Al Felzenberg … Don Kent, partner at the Nickles Group … WSJ's Charles Passy is 57 … Peter Edelman, law professor at Georgetown University, is 83 … Isabelle Solomon … Elizabeth Caputo (h/t Tim Burger) … Richard Fontaine … Washingtonian's Jessica Sidman … Tasha Hendershot ...

… Luke Holland, COS for Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), is 34 … Jodi Sakol, VP of campaign outreach at AARP … Bob Burke … Jon Macks ... Sam Arora … John Yaggi (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Lauren Fritts, chief comms officer at WeWork … Kim Larson … CNN's Josiah Ryan ... Deana Bass Williams ... Dan Black ... Cristina Diaz-Torres … Bloomberg's Emily Ashton … Laura Wiley … Carrie Seim … Seth Thomas Pietras … Catherine Easley … Diana Doukas, manager for economic impact at Facebook (h/t Erick Mullen) ... Jessica Medeiros Garrison ... Colin Campbell, managing editor at Yahoo News ... PBS' Kristin Lehner ... Zubin Sharma ... Desmond Hester … Ron Castleman ... Susan Fertig-Dykes ... Catherine Fenton ... Andrew Friedson … Richard Neffson

THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here):

CNN	"State of the Union": House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) … Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) … Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan … Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).
FOX	"Fox News Sunday": Mick Mulvaney … House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) Panel: Josh Holmes, Marie Harf and Jonathan Swan. Power Player: Gitanjali Rao.
NBC	"Meet the Press": Mick Mulvaney … Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). … Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). Panel: Kasie Hunt, Hallie Jackson, Jeh Johnson and Peggy Noonan.
ABC	"This Week": Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) … Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.). Panel: Chris Christie, Rahm Emanuel, Yvette Simpson and Sarah Isgur.
Sinclair	"America This Week": HHS Secretary Alex Azar … Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) … Dave Rubin … Corey Lewandowski.